world building

Sea Lycanthropes: Wereshark, Wereoctopus, and Werecrab

Brass Tacks / D&D, D&D fifth edition, DnD, DnD5e, Monster, monster creation, monster design, pdf, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

May 7, 2020

My latest DMs Guild product, The Iron Titan, is now available!

I cannot stop sharing monsters I made on this blog! Last year on my Patreon page I released three new lycanthropes for use with Ghosts of Saltmarsh. It’s time for me to now share these creatures with everyone, so I’ve got a document with three new lycanthropes below. The werecrab, the wereoctopus, and the wereshark are sure to terrify and delight your players! Take a look and let me know what you think.

Sea Lycanthropes Download

If you enjoyed these lycanthropes and want some more, check out the weredolphin and wereorca.

And for more monsters, check out the Free Resources page of this site.

If you like what you’re reading please consider supporting me on Patreon, supporting me on Ko-fi, follow me on Twitter, like World Builder Blog on Facebook, check out my podcasts, find my products on the DMs Guild, tell your friends about the blog, and/or leave me a comment and let me know you think. Thanks!

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My Dad’s Monster Manual – Hook Horror

Uncategorized / D&D, D&D fifth edition, D&D5e, DnD 5e, Fifth Edition D&D, fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons, Monster, monster creation, My Dad's Monster Manual, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

April 30, 2020

My latest DMs Guild product, The Iron Titan, is now available!

The work on My Dad’s Monster Manual continues. You can check out all the previews on this blog here. There are also a few on my Patreon!

Today I wanted to show off my father’s version of the hook horror, which he calls the leghorn! It is a very different take on this classic D&D creature.

Leghorn (Hook Horror)

Are you familiar with that cartoon character? You know, the big rooster?
Lucian J. Introcaso

Large, strong, and gullible, leghorns are featherless, muscular avian humans that stand about eight feet tall. Though they lack wings, their long arms end in fearsome hooks that belie their typically gentle personalities.

Loners Seeking Friendship. Leghorns spend much of their time alone in forests hunting game with their powerful hooks. A leghorn’s predatory appearance drives most other humanoids away or causes them to lash out at the creature. A leghorn stays isolated for its own safety, though most feel a desire to connect with others. When this yearning becomes too great, the leghorn leaves its forest and searches for friends. Some leghorns are lucky enough to find humanoids that see beyond the hooks and accept them as friends, but many are driven back into the wild by fearful mobs.

Trusting and Loyal. When a leghorn does make a friend, the avian humanoid treats the bond as sacred. Most leghorns are willing to do anything for their friends and take what their allies say as gospel truth. The avian humanoids lay their lives on the line to defend their friends and venture into dangerous lands to perform important favors for allies.

Gullible Lackeys. Because they rarely interact with other people, leghorns tend to be gullible and believe anything they are told. Bandits, cultists, and evil creatures looking for a strong minion convince leghorns they are friends. It often takes a lot of convincing to get a leghorn to see that its so-called friends are just evildoers willing to abuse the avian humanoid’s trust.

Leghorn

Medium humanoid (leghorn), neutral good

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points 45 (6d8 + 18)

Speed 40 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
19 (+4)	10 (+0)	17 (+3)	9 (-1)	7 (-2)	12 (+1)

Skills Nature +1, Perception +0, Survival +0

Senses passive Perception 10

Languages Common

Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Bolstered by Friends. When the leghorn can see an ally within 30 feet of it, the leghorn has advantage on all saving throws.

Actions

Hook. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 10 ft., one target. Hit: 13 (2d8 + 4) piercing damage.

Reactions

Riposting Ally. When a creature the leghorn can see attacks the leghorn’s ally, the leghorn can make a melee weapon attack against the creature that made the attack as a reaction.

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Customizing D&D Races

Brass Tacks / D&D, D&D5e, DnD 5e, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons fifth edition, race, races, world building, worldbuilding / 25 comments

April 18, 2020

My latest DMs Guild product, The Iron Titan, is now available!

Before we dive in, I want to thank two people who gave me great feedback on this article. First Leona Maple consulted and did rules development for this idea. It would not be close to what it is without her contributions and advice. Check out Leona’s website! I also want to thank James J. Haeck, who gave me great advice that inspired the variant on these rules below. Find out more about James on his site!

I want to be upfront that I don’t think this system comes close to solving every issue of race in Dungeons & Dragons. That is an issue that requires a total rethink of the game, in other words an entirely a new game. Leona put it best when she said, “D&D itself is problematic and racialised, and it is 1000% baked into the very foundations in tiny ways, even aside from the racial bonuses.” This new system addresses some, and nowhere close to all, of the mechanical aspects of this issue.

The fact that D&D has ability score adjustments and many cultural traits tied to race is inherently racist. There’s also a fun factor to this new system, which is subjective. I want to play a dwarf wizard and not be inferior to other wizards just because I didn’t get a sweet, sweet Intelligence score bonus and an extra cantrip. I’ll admit, I have a little power gamer in me as well as actor, so even when I have a great character concept in mind, I hesitate to play it if it isn’t optimized. I also get a little jealous when my friends are more effective.

There are also story considerations. What if you want to play a character with one tiefling parent and one dragonborn parent? You could pick either tiefling or dragonborn and go with it, but wouldn’t it be more fun to put the two together? What if you’re a halfling raised underground by incredible masons and miners? Shouldn’t you have the Stonecunnig trait? What if you come from a place where a diverse population has existed for generations? You might have a bunch of different heritages and cool mix of genetic and cultural traits to go with it. What if I just want to play an elf bard with a Charisma bonus instead of Intelligence and some more skill proficiencies instead of weapon proficiencies?

With all this in mind, I started to think about the options I could give my players the next time we rolled up characters. What I’m putting forth in this post is my first crack at a way to offer more flexible ancestry for characters in fifth edition Dungeons & Dragons.

This is definitely going to need some adjustment. Please feel free to leave feedback in the comments below, but here’s the thing: I know this is a contested subject. This post is about making a system help my players have more fun and be more comfortable at the table. I’m sharing it, because I think it might help other people. If you like the way fifth edition D&D character-building works now, there’s no need to get nasty about this single option I’m proposing.

Balancing the System

The system I’m proposing below is meant to be used as an option for character building. If my players want to build their characters according to the official rules, that is also fine with me. My hope is to provide a method for some players to customize their characters in fun ways while still maintaining the overall power balance among player characters. (This first crack may not accomplish that, but I got to start somewhere. Let’s see how close I got!)

This system cannot be used to recreate existing races. Many races are balanced by a lot of fiddly factors. For example, mountain dwarves getting +2 Strength is balanced by them also getting the Dwarven Armor Training trait (since classes that benefit most from +2 Strength already have the same armor proficiencies the trait provides). If I included all these considerations in my system, it would likely be very balanced but also way too complicated for most to use at the table. It’s already a little complicated and likely too unwieldy for people unfamiliar with fifth edition D&D. Lucky for me, many people are.

The final note about this is that this version of the system only uses the racial traits available in the Player’s Handbook. I may add traits from other books later, but at the moment I want to keep it simple.

Custom Races in D&D

To build a custom race in D&D, you first build a base race with some starting guidelines. Then you pick more traits to build onto the base.

Build a Base Race

You begin with the following traits:

Ability Score Increase. Two different ability scores of your choice increase by 1.

Size. Pick your size: Medium or Small.

Speed. If you are Small-sized, your base walking speed is 25 feet. If you are Medium-sized, pick one: Your base walking speed is 30 feet, or your base walking speed is 25 feet and not reduced by wearing heavy armor.

Language. You know Common and one other language of your choice.

Add More Traits

Now that you have your character’s base traits, you can spend points on any number of traits from the list below until you exhaust your total. If you are a Medium-sized character you have 10 points to spend. If you are a Small-sized character, you have 11 points to spend (because of your slower base walking speed, not directly because of your size). You can purchase each trait only once unless its description says otherwise. Each trait is defined below or in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook.

1-Point Traits

The following traits each cost 1 point:

Artificer’s Lore. See “Gnome Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Brave. See “Halfling Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Extra Language. You can speak, write, and understand a language of your choice. This trait can be taken multiple times. Each time you take it, you learn a new language.
Fey Ancestry. See “Elf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Nimbleness. This trait works the same as “Hafling Nimbleness” in “Halfling Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook. Only a Small-sized character can take this trait.
Resilience. You have advantage on saving throws against poison.
Speak with Small Beasts. See “Gnome Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Stonecunning. See “Dwarf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Tool Proficiency. You gain proficiency with a set of tools of your choice. This trait can be taken multiple times. Each time you take it, you gain proficiency in a new set of tools.
Trance. See “Elf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Weapon Training. You gain proficiency with three weapons of your choice. This trait can be taken multiple times. Each time you take it, you gain proficiency in three new weapons.

2-Point Traits

The following traits each cost 2 points:

Darkvision. See “Dwarf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Cantrip. You know one cantrip of your choice from the wizard spell list. Intelligence is your spellcasting ability for it. (Designer note: This would include minor illusion, so the forest gnome’s Natural Illusionist trait is covered by this trait.)
Faster Movement. Your walking speed increases 5 feet.
Mask of the Wild. See “Elf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Naturally Stealthy. See “Halfling Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information. Only a Small-sized creature can take this trait.
Powerful Critical. This trait is the same as “Savage Attacks” in “Half-Orc Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook.
Relentless Endurance. See “Half-Orc Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Skill Proficiency. You gain proficiency with a skill of your choice. This trait can be taken multiple times. Each time you take it, you gain proficiency in a new skill.
Superior Darkvision. When you gain this trait, you also gain the Sunlight Sensitivity trait. See “Elf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Tinker. See “Gnome Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Toughness. This trait is the same as “Dwarven Toughness” in “Dwarf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook.

3-Point Traits

The following traits each cost 3 points:

Armor Training. This trait works the same as “Dwarven Armor Training” in “Dwarf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook.
Breath Weapon. See “Dragonborn Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Damage Resistance. You gain resistance to one of the following damage types of your choice: acid, cold, fire, lightning, or poison.

4-Point Traits

The following traits each cost 4 points:

Ability Score Increase. Increase one ability score of your choice by 1, including an ability score you already increased with your initial traits. You can purchase this trait a second time, but when you do, you must apply the increase to a different ability score.
Cunning. This trait is the same as “Gnome Cunning” in “Gnome Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook.
Drow Magic. See “Elf Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Infernal Legacy. See “Tiefling Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.
Lucky. See “Halfling Traits” in chapter 2 of the Player’s Handbook for more information.

8 Points for a Feat

If your DM allows feats in the game, you can spend 8 points to gain a feat.

Variant: Customizing Existing Races

The rules above can also be used to customize existing races. A character swap a published racial trait for another of the same or lower point value, as the long as the trait swapped in or out is not the Ability Score Increase trait.

A character can adjust the Ability Score Increase trait by swapping the ability scores increased for others. For example, instead of a dragonborn ranger gaining a Strength score increase of 2 and a Charisma score increase of 1, they could elect to gain a Dexterity score increase of 2 and a Wisdom score increase of 1. A character cannot gain an ability score increase of more than 2 for any given score. If a character gains a bonus to two or more different ability scores originally, each increase must still be applied to a different ability score. For example, a human character cannot use this variant rule to gain +2 Wisdom, +2 Constitution, and +1 Charisma. (Designer’s note: I know this second rule is a little more fiddly. Consider the tiefling’s normal +2 Charisma and +1 Intelligence do not optimize as well with any obvious single class builds the way a half-orc’s +2 Strength and +1 Constitution do. However, my game, like many, allows for multiclassing, which basically throws many of these fiddly arguments out the window… probably.)

How’s It Look?

So how did I do? Let me know in the comments below.

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My Dad’s Monster Manual – Bone Devil

Collaboration / D&D, D&D 5e, DnD, DnDBlog, Fifth Edition D&D, Monster, monster creation, monster design, Monster Manual, My Dad's Monster Manual, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

April 2, 2020

Check out my latest DMs Guild product, Oracle of War: Salvage Bases and Missions.

It’s time for another preview of My Dad’s Monster Manual. Got questions about the concept? Check out my first post on the subject.

I just interviewed my father for a whole new batch of critters. His takes are pretty wild! First up, my father’s take on the bone devil! He thinks it’s an undead pixie!

Faeton (Bone Devil)

Because they have eternal unlife, they can go wherever they want.
Lucian J. Introcaso

Twisted, undead pixies with long claws and poison-tipped tails, Faeton are little barbed skeletons with powerful innate magic.

Recreate Tragic Deaths. When a pixie dies a horrific, tragic, or violent death, its bones reform into a faeton. The faeton remembers its life as a pixie but has an entirely new attitude. It believes other creatures should suffer the same fate it had, seeking to recreate that death for other creatures.

Faetons choose their victims with care, typically targeting creatures that remind the undead pixies of enemies they had in life. This similarity could be in appearance, taste, or some other small detail that only makes sense to the faeton. The undead pixies are patient and might lay subtle groundwork for days before finally taking the lives of victims. They use their enchantment spells and their magical stingers to turn victims and others into puppets that recreate the final moments of the faeton’s life.

Deadly Wanderers. Faetons never stay in one place for long. When all their targets in one area are dead, they move on to a new location to find more creatures to murder. Many communities don’t realize a faeton perpetrated a tragic death until they learn surrounding settlements also experienced similar tragedies.

Soft Spot for Fey. Somewhere deep in their souls, faetons still feel a connection to the Feywild. As such, they only ever seem to harm fey creatures in self-defense. Even humanoids with fey lineage, such as elves, seem to avoid the wrath of faetons.

Faeton

Tiny undead, neutral evil

Armor Class 15

Hit Points 22 (5d4 + 10)

Speed 10 ft., fly 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
2 (-4)	20 (+5)	14 (+2)	13 (+1)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)

Skills Insight +4, Perception +4, Stealth +7

Damage Immunities poison

Condition Immunities charmed, poisoned

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 14

Languages Sylvan

Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Innate Spellcasting. The faeton’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). It can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: chill touch, minor illusion

1/day each: command, crown of madness, detect thoughts, dominate person, dream, fear, major image, mislead, phantasmal force

Magic Resistance. The faeton has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

Multiattack. The faeton makes two attacks: one with its claws and one with its stinger.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d4 + 5) slashing damage.

Stinger. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 1 piercing damage, and the target must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or be charmed by the faeton for 1 minute. When the target takes damage, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the condition on a success.

What Do You Think?

So how did Pop do? Let me know in the comments below.

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Build Bases and Adventurers League Adventures in Eberron!

Collaboration, General / D&D, D&D5e, DnD 5e, DnDBlog, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons fifth edition, Eberron, world building, worldbuilding / 2 comments

March 12, 2020

I’m SUPER excited to announce that I am the lead designer of a really cool product that’s now available on the Dungeon Masters Guild.

In 2019 Will Doyle and Shawn Merwin of the Adventurers League approached the Guid Adepts about making an awesome D&D product. They wanted a product that accomplished the following objectives:

The product would provide mechanics for collecting a resource called salvage found in the Mournland in Eberron.
The product would provide mechanics for using the salvage to build a cool home base for player characters in Eberron.
The product would provide rules and guidelines for creating your own Adventurers League legal adventures in Eberron. These adventures allow the player characters to earn salvage instead of the usual gold or magic item.
The product would provide four ready-to-play sample adventures (one per tier).

I was the lead designer on a team that included M.T. Black, Rich Lescouflair, and Ginny Loveday as well as Will and Shawn. Together we created Oracle of War: Salvage Bases and Missions.

While this is an Adventurers League product, the adventurers and the salvage and base building rules can be used outside of AL play. Who doesn’t want to build a base inside an ancient ruin, old tavern, or derelict warforged colossus?

Here’s the description in from the DMs Guild product page:

Create Your Own Home in the Mournland!

Oracle of War: Salvage Bases and Missions contains new Dungeons & Dragons rules you can use to build a base in the Mournland, a terrifying, magically warped landscape in the Eberron campaign setting. Your base originates near Salvation, a frontier town on the border of the Mournland’s mists. If you upgrade your base to its fullest potential, your home base can travel the world of Eberron with you.

In addition to the rules for building a base, this supplement contains ready-to-play adventures Dungeon Masters can run, allowing characters to earn a new resource called salvage. Salvage is an abstract currency used to purchase upgrades for your base. The supplement also includes rules, guidelines, and random tables to help DMs design their own Mournland adventures called salvage missions.

This supplement, created by the Guild Adepts, is legal for D&D Adventurers League play when used as part of the Oracle of War campaign. Your group can use the Oracle of War: Salvage Bases and Missions as written to create and upgrade a base. The adventures provided here can be integrated into the Oracle of War campaign, as can any base created by the characters. Adventures you create using the rules in this supplement are also legal for Adventurers League play as part of the Oracle of War campaign.

You can find out more about the official D&D play programs at dndadventurersleague.org. If you are not planning on using this product for Adventurers League play, you can use it as you see fit to enhance any D&D game.

Share and Review

Do you like Oracle of War: Salvage Bases and Missions? Please consider leaving a review on the product page and spreading the word about it social media!

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My Dad’s Monster Manual – Shadow Demon

Inspiration / D&D, D&D5e, Descent into Avernus, DnD, DnD 5e, dungeons and dragons, dungeons and dragons fifth edition, monster creation, monster design, monsters, My Dad's Monster Manual, world building, worldbuilding / 0 comments

February 27, 2020

Check out my latest DMs Guild release: HAGMALGAMS

Based on the numbers, it seems like people are really liking the previews of My Dad’s Monster Manual. Got questions about the concept? Check out my first post on the subject.

The playtest for this book has begun, but today I wanted to show off a unique monster my dad came up with. By unique, I mean there is only one of these creatures. My father created an archdevil named Donafur. I wanted to share him with you all because his beefy challenge rating of 26 means not many groups are actually going to get to playtest this bad boy. I’ve found higher level creatures need a lot of care, so I figured I would share this critter with the internet because the internet is always willing to give an opinion (for which I am always grateful, save for those criticisms that mean-spirited).

Anyway, without further ado, I give you my dad’s take on the shadow demon: an archdevil named Donafur.

Donafur (Shadow Demon)

This is Donafur. He wants to build his own separate Hell.
Lucian J. Introcaso

Donafur is an archdevil exiled from the Nine Hells. The fiend’s skin is so dark it absorbs light and his long arms end in wicked claws. Normally Donafur appears to be about seven feet tall, but he can grow nearly fifty feet.

A Hell of His Own. Donafur fled the Nine Hells after a failed attempt to depose Asmodeus. He dare not return to his home plane for fear of what punishment awaits him. The ambitious Donafur cannot leave his dreams of ruling the Nine Hells behind, so he plots to create his own infernal realm by conquering another plane and reshaping it.

Soul Trader. To take over a plane Donafur requires an army. In true devil fashion Donafur and his agents make deals with mortals to acquire their souls. Donafur offers love, treasure, power, and anything else he can to seal the deal. In life these mortals bound to Donafur create cults to encourage others to pledge their loyalties to the devil. When the mortals die, Donafur turns their souls into nettlehams, a kind of devil loyal only to him.

Unlike Asmodeus, deals are the only way Donafur can amass an army. This fact makes Donafur willing to offer more than other devils. If he gets wind of a mortal about to make a deal with another devil, his agents might swoop in last minute with a better offer.

Donafur believes all mortals can be tempted into selling their souls. It’s just a matter of finding the right offer. If he’s wrong, his hubris may be his undoing. If he’s right, a second Hell is just around the corner.

Donafur

Medium fiend (devil), lawful evil

Armor Class 21 (natural armor)

Hit Points 517 (45d8 + 315)

Speed 50 ft., fly 150 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
24 (+7)	27 (+8)	25 (+7)	28 (+9)	27 (+8)	30 (+10)

Saving Throws Int +17, Wis +16, Cha +18

Skills Arcana +17, Deception +18, Perception +16

Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks that aren’t silvered

Damage Immunities fire, poison

Condition Immunities charmed, exhaustion, frightened, poisoned

Senses truesight 120 ft., passive Perception 26

Languages all, telepathy 120 ft.

Challenge 26 (90,000 XP)

Innate Spellcasting. Donafur’s innate spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 26; +18 to hit with spell attacks). He can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: charm person, chill touch (as 17th-level caster), detect thoughts, fireball, invisibility (self only), zone of truth

3/day each: antipathy/sympathy, dominate monster, mass suggestion, wall of ice

Legendary Resistance (3/Day). If Donafur fails a saving throw, he can choose to succeed instead.

Light Absorption. If Donafur chooses, he absorbs all light within 60 feet of him, making this area completely dark.

Magic Weapons. Donafur’s weapon attacks are magical.

Magic Resistance. Donafur has advantage on saving throws against spells and other magical effects.

Actions

Multiattack. Donafur uses Change Size then makes two attacks.

Change Size. Donafur can grow from a Medium size creature to a Gargantuan one or shrink from Gargantuan to Medium size. While Gargantuan, he deals an extra d12 slashing damage with claw attacks and his reach for the claw attacks increase 10 feet (included in the attacks).

Claw. Melee Weapon Attack: +16 to hit, reach 10 ft. (Medium) or 20 ft. (Gargantuan), one target. Hit: 27 (3d12 + 8) slashing damage, or 34 (4d12 + 8) slashing damage if Donafur is Gargantuan, plus 16 (3d10) psychic damage. If the target is a creature, it also makes saving throws against enchantment spells cast by Donafur with disadvantage until the end of Donafur’s next turn.

Psychic Bolt. Ranged Spell Attack: +18 to hit, range 120 ft., one target. Hit: 44 (8d10) psychic damage, and the target is charmed by Donafur.

Legendary Actions

Donafur can take 3 legendary actions, choosing from the options below. Only one legendary action option can be used at a time and only at the end of another creature’s turn. Donafur regains spent legendary actions at the start of its turn.

Chill Touch. Donafur casts chill touch.

Incorporeal Movement. Donafur moves his speed without provoking opportunity attacks. He can move through other creatures and objects as if they were difficult terrain. Donafur takes 5 (1d10) force damage if he ends this movement inside an object. If he is still inside an object at the end of his turn, he takes the damage again.

Save Servant (Costs 3 Actions). Donafur touches the remains of a nettleham that has died within the last minute. The nettleham returns to life with half its hit points restored.

What Do You Think?

So how did Pop do? Let me know in the comments below. Maybe I should show off the nettleham next?

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Spells that will Knock You Out

Collaboration / D&D, DnD, DnD 5e, DnD5e, DnDBlog, dungeons and dragons, pdf, spells, world building, worldbuilding / 3 comments

February 20, 2020

Publisher’s Choice Quality Stock Art © Rich Hershey / Fat Goblin Games

Check out my latest DMs Guild release: HAGMALGAMS!

A couple months ago, Ben Heisler (a great game designer and podcaster who often works with his equally amazing spouse, Paige Leitman), asked me if I would be willing to collaborate with him on some design work for his excellent D&D actual play podcast, Feats and Fables. Ben plays a tiefling wizard named Khafra who abhors killing. The way Ben put it, he was feeling a little bored in combat encounters because Khafra didn’t want to use spells that could potentially kill enemies. That means almost no spells that reduce hit points. In D&D you can choose to knock someone out with a melee attack when you reduce them to 0 hit points, but not when you reduce them to 0 hit points with a ranged attack or a spell that requires a save, like fireball. That meant Ben had limited options, like sleep, hold person, and shocking grasp (a cantrip that uses a melee spell attack). He wanted a little more variety in his damaging cantrips.

Ben asked me if I could make some some cantrips that knocked people out and then he would discuss them with Paige, the show’s DM. The Feats & Fables crew is allowing me to share the current versions of what I came up with here on my blog. I have four new cantrips to share today plus a feat I created. Paige and Ben are likely to update and share the versions they end up using (if they use any at all).

Cantrips

Here are the cantrips I created.

Bigby’s Baby Hand

Evocation cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

A ghostly toddler-sized fist momentarily appears, punching a creature or object within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d10 bludgeoning damage and is moved 5 feet to an unoccupied space of your choice. If the damage reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the target is knocked unconscious but stable.

This spell’s damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).

Corrupt Mind

Divination cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: Instantaneous

You briefly and invasively stab your consciousness into the mind of a creature with at least 1 hit point remaining in range, causing extreme mental anguish. The target must succeed on a Wisdom saving throw or take 1d10 psychic damage. If this damage reduces the target to 0 hit points, you may immediately pick one of the following effects:

The target is knocked unconscious, but does not die and is stable.
The target is turned to stone and petrified for 1 hour. You must maintain concentration on the target’s petrification for the duration, as if concentrating on a spell. When the petrification ends, the target has 0 hit points and is unconscious but stable.
If you and the target share a language you both speak, you can probe the target’s mind for answers. Ask the target one question, which it must answer “Yes,” “No,” or, “I don’t know,” honestly.

This spell’s damage increases by 1d10 when you reach 5th level (2d10), 11th level (3d10), and 17th level (4d10).

Justicar’s Chains

Conjuration cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 60 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: 1 round

You hurl a ball of life-sucking, ethereal chains at a creature within range. Make a ranged spell attack against the target. On a hit, the target takes 1d6 necrotic damage, and its speed is reduced by 10 feet until the start of your next turn. If the target is reduced to 0 hit points before the start of your next turn, the target is knocked unconscious but stable.

This spell’s damage increases by 1d6 when you reach 5th level (2d6), 11th level (3d6), and 17th level (4d6).

Mind Leak

Necromancy cantrip

Casting Time: 1 action

Range: 30 feet

Components: V, S

Duration: 1 round

You attempt to draw a creature’s mental power out through its eyes. A creature you choose within range of the spell must succeed on a Constitution saving throw or take 1d8 psychic damage, and you become invisible to the target until the start of your next turn. This invisibility ends early if you attack or cast a spell. If the damage reduces a creature to 0 hit points, the target is knocked unconscious but stable.

This spell’s damage increases by 1d8 when you reach 5th level (2d8), 11th level (3d8), and 17th level (4d8).

Feat

Here’s the feat!

Precise Caster

You have practiced casting your spells to get precise results and gain the following benefits:

Increase your Intelligence, Wisdom, or Charisma score by 1.
When you cast a spell with an area of effect, you can reduce all dimensions of the area of effect by 5 or 10 feet. For example, the fireball spell’s 20-foot-radius sphere area of effect could become a sphere with a radius of 15 or 10 feet.
When hit with a ranged spell attack and deal damage that reduces a creature to 0 hit points, you can choose to knock the creature out. You make this choice the instant the damage is dealt. The creature falls unconscious and is stable.

PDF

Want these spells and this feat in a handy PDF to take with you? Here it is! It will also be linked on the Free Resources page of this site forever.

Spells that will Knock You Out Download

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My Dad’s Monster Manual – Bulette

Inspiration / D&D, D&D5e, DnD, DnD 5e, DnDBlog, dungeons and dragons, Fifth Edition D&D, Monster, monster creation, My Dad's Monster Manual, world building, worldbuilding / 1 comment

January 30, 2020

You can order The Demonplague, my level 1 – 20 fifth edition adventure, right now!

Curious about My Dad’s Monster Manual? Check out my first post on the subject.

Thank you all so much for your kind responses and sign ups to playtest My Dad’s Monster Manual. I should have a nice batch of critters coming in Feburary for everyone. In the meantime, how about another preview? Here’s my dad’s take on the bulette!

Clam Orcs (Bulette)

This is armor. There’s a creature inside here.
Lucian J. Introcaso

Clam orcs are pink aquatic humanoids that grow to be between two and three feet tall. The intelligent but physically weak humanoids use magic to grow armor they spend most of their wearing.

Magic Invention. Because of their ocean habitat, clam orcs cannot make crafts with fiery forges. Instead they use magic rituals that allow them to shape and grow flexible seashells as impenetrable as steel called brinehull. The orcs craft brinehull into fortified homes, tools, weapons, and the suits of armor clam orcs wear.

Vulnerable Without Armor. Sharks, plesiosaurs, orcas, and other aquatic predators find clam orcs easy prey out of their armor. These beasts know to stay away from this unique exoskeleton that bonds with the clam orc when donned, giving the humanoid protection, enhance strength, longer survivability, claws, and bite attack. Brinehull armor is magically enchanted so only clam orcs can bond with it.

Hidden and Protective. Clam orcs keep their homes on the floor of murky, shallow seas. They like to stay hidden, especially from other humanoids who would steal their brinehull growing and crafting techniques. Visitors in clam orc communities are treated with trepidation at best. The beings are quick to destroy anything they see as a potential threat.

When clam orcs face a threat they cannot overcome, they are willing to trade brinehull for mercenary services.

Clam Orc

Small humanoid, neutral

Armor Class 11

Hit Points 10 (3d6)

Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
6 (-2)	12 (+1)	10 (+0)	16 (+3)	14 (+2)	12 (+1)

Skills Arcana +5

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12

Languages Aquan, Common, Orc

Challenge 1/8 (25 XP)

Hold Breath. While out of water, the orc can hold its breath for 30 minutes.

Innate Spellcasting. The orc’s spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13). The orc can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: mending

1/day each: fabricate, creation

Water Breathing. The orc can only breathe underwater.

Actions

Dagger. Melee or Ranged Weapon Attack: +3 to hit, reach 5 ft. or range 20/60 ft., one target. Hit: 4 (1d4 + 2) piercing damage.

Armored Clam Orc

Small humanoid, neutral

Armor Class 18 (brinehull armor)

Hit Points 33 (6d6 + 12)

Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
16 (+3)	12 (+1)	14 (+2)	16 (+3)	14 (+2)	12 (+1)

Skills Arcana +5

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive Perception 12

Languages Aquan, Common, Orc

Challenge 2 (450 XP)

Hold Breath. While out of water, the orc can hold its breath for 30 minutes.

Innate Spellcasting. The orc’s spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13). The orc can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: mending

1/day each: fabricate, creation

Water Breathing. The orc can only breathe underwater.

Actions

Multiattack. The orc makes two attacks: one with its bite and one with its claws.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d6 + 3) piercing damage.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +5 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d4 + 3) slashing damage.

What Do You Think?

So how did Pop do? Let me know in the comments below.

Help Me Playtest

Want to playtest the clam orcs and any other critters my father creates? Sign up here. If you playtest these monsters, you’ll get a free PDF of the product and your name in the credits.

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My Dad’s Monster Manual – Ankheg

Inspiration / D&D, D&D5e, DnD, dungeons and dragons, Fifth Edition D&D, fifth edition Dungeons and Dragons, Monster, monster creation, monster design, monsters, My Dad's Monster Manual, world building, worldbuilding / 1 comment

January 23, 2020

You can order The Demonplague, my level 1 – 20 fifth edition adventure, right now!

Curious about My Dad’s Monster Manual? Check out my first post on the subject.

Time to show off another critter created by my father and I created! This time he totally rewrote the story of the ankheg. He saw them as wise, amphibious critters. Take a look!

Lobsteronian (Ankheg)

Oh! This creature is a wise creature.
Lucian J. Introcaso

Standing between five and eight feet tall, lobsteronians live in isolated swamp communities reminiscent of their home planet. They can live more than five hundred years, achieving adulthood around age twenty.

Interstellar Wise Folk. Lobsteronians seek enlightenment by teleporting to different planets in the Material Plane and learning about the world’s inhabitants. If well received, they may stay on a planet for a decade or more.

When lobsteronians come to a new planet, they make themselves comfortable in a remote swamp. Then they send out messengers to seek nearby communities and offer words of peace.

Lobsteronians never reveal the name of their planet to others for fear that they might lead enemies back to their people.

Gentle Advisors. All are welcome in a lobsteronian community. Intelligent, empathetic, and patient, loberstonians make excellent councilors, negotiators, and even interrogators. They enjoy learning and are happy to share the lore they’ve picked up over the years. Outsiders seeking lobsteronian skills or knowledge often find the aliens willing to trade for a service, such as a guided tour of nearby town, the procurement of an obscure tome, or the defeat of a monster harassing the colony.

Specialized Jobs. Every lobsteronian in a community is assigned a specialized job by a council of planners. All jobs are held in equal regard including the council. Cooks, warriors, and farmers are all important in the eyes of the community.

Lobsteronian

Medium humanoid, lawful good

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points 27 (5d8 + 5)

Speed 30 ft., swim 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
14 (+2)	8 (-1)	12 (+1)	15 (+2)	17 (+3)	16 (+3)

Skills History +4, Insight +5, Persuasion +5

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 13

Languages Common

Challenge 1 (200 XP)

Amphibious. The lobsteronian can breathe air and water.

Innate Spellcasting. The lobsteronian’s spellcasting ability is Wisdom (spell save DC 13). The lobsteronian can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

1/day each: augury, teleport, zone of truth

Actions

Multiattack. The lobsteronian makes one attack with its bite and one attack with its claws.

Bite. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (1d10 + 2) piercing damage. If the target is a Medium or smaller creature, it is grappled (escape DC 12). Until this grapple ends, the lobsteronian can bite only the grappled creature and has advantage on attack rolls to do so.

Claws. Melee Weapon Attack: +4 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 6 (1d8 + 2) slashing damage.

What Do You Think?

So how did Pop do? Let me know in the comments below.

Help Me Playtest

Want to playtest the lobesteronian and any other critters my father creates? Sign up here. If you playtest these monsters, you’ll get a free PDF of the product and your name in the credits.

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My Dad’s Monster Manual – Azer

General / D&D, D&D5e, dungeons and dragons, Fifth Edition D&D, Monster, monster creation, monster design, Monster Manual, My Dad's Monster Manual, world building, worldbuilding / 1 comment

January 16, 2020

You can order The Demonplague, my level 1 – 20 fifth edition adventure, right now!

Curious about My Dad’s Monster Manual? Check out my first post on the subject.

My father has always enjoyed a good story where a villain is defeated without violence. I suppose since he’s more an intellectual person than an athletic one (just like me), that is a very appealing thing. Brains over brawn! But more than seeing himself as the hero, I think my dad likes to believe that many people can change if the right person stands up to them. He values right over wrong and believes sometimes the simple equation of good is greater than evil should be enough to win the day alone.

Why bring this up? Because this philosophy of my father’s has led me down a road to an interesting game mechanic. Below is his take on the classic D&D azer! Instead of elemental, this fiery being is now a fiend from the Nine Hells called a burlon. Let me know what you think of the Intimidating Banishment feature this critter has in the comments below!

Burlon (Azer)

You can send them back to Hell by calling them out like bullies.
Lucian J. Introcaso

Havoc-wreaking fiends that serve devils, burlons are forces of chaos and destruction. As their fiery beards, hair, and weapons suggest, they just want the world to scream and burn.

Burlons have builds similar to dwarves.

Sold Chaotic Souls. When a devil acquires the soul of a truly chaotic humanoid via infernal contract, the reborn creature emerges from the River Styx not as a lemure but as a burlon. Even the magic current of the river could not wipe the chaos from the being’s soul. Though bound to the devil who made the deal, burlons are difficult to control and desire only fiery destruction.

Devil Dirty Work. Devils keep burlons contained and do not allow the chaotic fiends to fight in the Blood War. A burlon fighting along side a devil is just as likely to harm infernal ranks as abyssal. However, when a devil desires the total annihilation of an enemy outside of the Lower Planes, they send one or more burlons to wreak havoc. Burlons have gleefully burned entire cities of the Material Plane to the ground, showing the world their devil masters are not to be crossed.

Burning Bullies. Burlons take pleasure in fear and pain, but actually cannot stand being insulted. If a burlon on a plane other than the Nine Hells feels enough embarrassment or shame, the creature is instantly banished back to its infernal home.

Burlon

Medium fiend, chaotic evil

Armor Class 13 (natural armor)

Hit Points 75 (10d8 + 30)

Speed 30 ft.

STR	DEX	CON	INT	WIS	CHA
20 (+5)	12 (+1)	16 (+3)	10 (+2)	12 (+1)	16 (+3)

Damage Resistances cold; bludgeoning, piercing, and slashing damage from nonmagical attacks that aren’t silvered

Damage Immunities fire, poison

Condition Immunities poisoned

Senses darkvision 60 ft., passive perception 11

Languages Infernal

Challenge 4 (1,100 XP)

Heated Body. A creature that touches the burlon or hits it with a melee attack while within 5 feet of it takes 5 (1d10) fire damage.

Heated Weapons. When the burlon hits with a melee weapon, it deals an extra 3 (1d6) fire damage (included in the attack).

Illumination. The burlon sheds bright light in a 15-foot radius and dim light for an additional 15 feet.

Innate Spellcasting. The burlon’s spellcasting ability is Charisma (spell save DC 13, +5 to hit with spell attacks). The burlon can innately cast the following spells, requiring no material components:

At will: fire bolt

1/day: fireball

Intimidating Banishment. When the burlon is on a plane that is not the Nine Hells and a creature that is not frightened within 30 feet of the burlon that the burlon can hear and understand uses an action to verbally embarrass, insult, or shame the burlon and succeeds on a DC 20 Charisma (Intimidation) check, the burlon is banished to its home in the Nine Hells.

Actions

Multiattack. The burlon uses Frightful Presence then makes two attacks.

Frightful Presence. Each creature of the burlon’s choice within 30 feet of it and aware of it must succeed on a DC 13 Wisdom saving throw or become frightened for 1 minute. A creature can repeat the saving throw at the end of each of its turns, with disadvantage if the burlon is within line of sight, ending the effect on itself on a success. If a creature’s saving throw is successful or the effect ends for it, the creature is immune to the burlon’s Frightful Presence for the next 24 hours.

Warhammer. Melee Weapon Attack: +7 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 9 (1d8 + 5) bludgeoning damage, or 10 (1d10 + 5) bludgeoning damage if used with two hands to make a melee attack, plus 3 (1d6) fire damage.

What Do You Think?

So how did Pop do? And how did I do with that Intimidating Banishment feature? Let me know in the comments below.

Help Me Playtest

Want to playtest the burlon and any other critters my father creates? Sign up here. If you playtest these monsters, you’ll get a free PDF of the product and your name in the credits.

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